Everett, MA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Section 12-1012 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Everett, Massachusetts (Middlesex County) defines the primary residence test that anchors the short-term rental division. Primary residence means the residential unit in which the operator resides for at least six (6) months out of a twelve-month period. The operator proves it as of the date of registration by showing residence for six (6) of the past twelve (12) months, through at least two (2) of the following: utility bill, voter registration, motor vehicle registration, deed, lease, driver's license, other state-issued identification, or proof of residential exemption.

A home share unit is an entire residential unit offered as a short-term rental that is the operator's primary residence. A limited share unit is the operator's primary residence with only a portion rented while the operator is present. Section 12-1014(b) and (c) allow both without a limit on days per year.

The primary residence rule is not the only route. Section 12-1012 also defines an owner-adjacent unit, which is not the owner's primary residence but sits within the same dwelling or property as the owner's primary residence. Section 12-1013(b)(1) lets a unit with no resident operator or owner qualify if the property has employed a local and readily available professional property manager, or if it fits the existing non-owner-occupied exception, and Section 12-1014(d) gives the building commissioner discretion over those applications.

Section 12-1014(i) requires the operator to keep records showing how many months the operator has resided or will reside in the unit and that the operator is the owner or valid leaseholder, and to retain them for three (3) years. Under Section 12-1015(f), an operator who stops being a primary resident must immediately notify the building commissioner to remove the unit from the registry.